Trouble Will Find Me (LP)

The National

Amoeba Review

05/20/2013

At this point in their career, with several excellent albums under their belts, The National need not radically reinvent their sound but rather refine it, and that’s exactly what they do on Trouble Will Find Me. Their moodier pieces maintain the maturity of High Violet while they’ve remembered to embrace the cool and propulsion of previous album Boxer. The result is the best of both worlds — The National shed their dad-rock tendencies without seemingly like they’re trying too hard. Musically interesting ideas abound, like the subtly off beat of “So Far Around the Bend” and “I Should Live in Salt,” and a sunnier than usual presentation and swifter beats give flight to “Don’t Swallow the Cap” and “Graceless,” while Matt Beringer’s baritone and witty, cynical lyricism keep things grounded. “I can’t fight it anymore, I’m going through an awkward phase” he sings on the darkly comedic “Demons,” but Trouble Will Find Me is the most confident and, possibly, flat-out best National record yet.